Machine gun



- 2 Sheets-Shet 1. 7 T. R. COOK. MACHINE GUN.

No Model.)

No. 560,842. Patented May 26, 1896.

IN VEN 7'01? WI'TNE SSE 8:

ANDREW acRAMAm PHm-LrmuwAsmNGTON, n.0,

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. T. R. COOK. MAGHINE GUN.

(No Model.)

Patented May 26, 1896.

WITNESSES:

AN DREW B GRAHAM. PHOTOU'MO WASHINGTONDYC 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. COOK, OF MARION, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EVVALD OVER,OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

MACHlNE-GU N.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,842, dated May 26,1896.

Application filed October 7, 1895. Serial No. 564.893. (N0 model.)

T0 LLZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS R. COOK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marion, in the county of Grant and State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machine-Guns, of whichthe following is a specification.

The object of my said invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivebut effective machine firearm adapted especially for use at short range.

Said invention consists in various improvements in the construct-ion andarrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter more particularlydescribed and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof andon which similar letters of reference indicate similar 7 parts, Figure 1is a perspective view of a firearm embodying my said invention; Fig. 2,a central longitudinal vertical sectional View of the same as seen whenlooking in the direction indicated by the arrows on the dotted lines 2 2in Fig. 3; Fig. 3, a view as seen from the dotted line 3 3 in Fig. 2;Fig. 4, a horizontal sectional view looking downwardly from the dottedline 4 4: in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a detail fragmentary view illustratingoneof the firing-pins more plainly.

In said drawings the portions marked A represent the casing or frameworkof my im-' proved firearm; B, the cylinder-shaft; O, the firing-pins; D,drums by which the cartridgebelts are fed forward and which serve alsoas one side of the cartridgechambers; E, frames or casings which containsaid drums; F, spring wedges operating on said frames, and G thecartridge-belts.

The framework or casing A is of a suitable form to contain the mechanismof my device, being preferably substantially square at the point wherethe greater portion of said mechanism is positioned, and having aforwardlyprojecting cylindrical portion A to contain the barrelcylinder, and a rearwardly extending but smaller portion A to containthe firing-pins. It is mounted on a preferably ball-headed piyot aextending up from a base A and also has upon one side a handle A, bywhich the user may move and hold it to the desired position.

The shaft B carries the heads B of the barrel-cylinder, and is itselfmounted in bear ings a and a, provided therefor in the bodyplate A andextension A of the casing. The cylinder-heads B are firmly securedthereon and revolve therewith. The barrels B are fixedly mounted in thecylinder-heads B and serve the usual purpose of barrels to a firearm. Atthe rear end one-half of each barrel is cut away for a distancesubstantially the length of a cartridge, and also substantially equal tothe thickness of the drums D. These barrels at this point are thussemicircular and form one half of the cartridgechamber, the drums Dforming the other half, as will be presently explained. In operationthis cylinder is revolved by means of the crank B on the shaft 13, andthe result is a rapid and continuous firing until the cartridges at thetime in the belts are exhausted. The extreme rear end of thebarrel-cylinder, which is in form a flange on the rear cylinder-head B,is serrated or formed into a series of inclined teeth I), which engagewith and operate the firing-pin, said teeth being equal in number to thenumber of barrels in the cylinder. with an equal number of openingsthrough which the contact-points c of firing-pins pass to the head ofthe cartridge.

The firingpins O are mounted in bearings in the framework, as shown, inwhich bearings they are adapted to reciprocate. They are urged forwardtoward the barrels B by means of the springs O, which surround theirstems, as shown most plainly in Fig. 4. The forward ends of thesefiring-pins are inclined for the greater portion of their inner ends,where they come in contact with the teeth b on the end of thefiring-cylinder; but they are provided centrally with the contact-pointsc, which are adapted to pass through the openings therefor in the headB, and to strike and explode the cartridges as they are urged forward,when the pins as a whole escape from the teeth on the barrel-cylinder.Said teeth are divided, as shown, to permit them to pass these pointswithout coming in contact therewith. The inclines thus engage on bothsides of the operative points of the firingpin, precluding any sidewisestrain.

The drums D contain a number of semicircular depressions in theirperipheries, cor- Said head B is also provided the firing-cylinder.

responding in size to the interior surfaces of the half-cylinders formedat the rear ends of the barrels, where they are cut away, so that when adrum is brought to that position where one of its depressions registersexactly with the corresponding half of a barrel they together form acartridge-chamber, as shown at the left hand of the barrel-cylinder inFig. 3. It will beobserved that at the right hand neither of the barrelsare exactly in the position to explode the cartridge; this arrangementbeing for the purpose of securing an alternative rather than asimultaneous eX- plosion of cartridges, which, it will be ob served, isa considerable advantage, as the shock of the firing operation isthereby better distributed. The drums are mounted to revolve freely inbearings in the frame or casings E provided therefor. Said frames orcasings E are detachably positioned with the main frame A, resting onthe floor or lower portion thereof and. extending up alongside WVhen inposition for operation, as shown most plainly in Fig. 3, their innerupper corners engage with a catchbar A secured to the inner surface ofthe adjacent portion of the frame A. By this means, as will be readilyunderstood, said frames are prevented from raising from their properposition. Said drums are held firmly but somewhat yieldingly into theproper relation with the firing-cylinder by means of the spring-wedgesF, which consist, as shown in Fig. 3, of two pieces arranged inwedgelike relation and having a spring f between them. Thesespring-wedges are shoved down. into position by hand tightly enough toaccomplish the purpose, which is to hold the parts strongly and closelytogether, but not so strongly as to occasion undue friction.

The cartridge-belt G is in itself merely a belt with open-ended pocketsat regular i11- tervals to receive the cartridges. Such belts are placedin position, substantially as shown in Fig. 3, so that the ends passbetween the drums D and the open-sided parts of the barrels in thefiring-cylinder, and thus the cartridges are brought successively intoposition in the cartridge-cham bers form ed by the semicylindricalcavities, consisting of one-half the barrel and the depressions in theperipheries of the drums.

In operation the user grasps the handle A and swings the structure tothe desired inclination vertically and laterally. He then turns thefiring-cylinder by means of the crank B when the cartridges are explodedby means of the firing-pins, as described, and the bullets aredischarged through the perforations a in the front end of the casingpart A. The great value of my invention lies in its adaptability torapid firing at short range, and it is especially adapted to the use ofexpress messengers on railwaytrains. This firearm may be positioned inone corner of the car-for instance, on its base A which in turn issecured fixedly upon any support desired. If the train should beattacked by robbers, the messenger can retire behind this gun, andimmediately the door or side of the car is burst in can discharge such avolley as to preclude the possibility of any assaulter escaping, andthis, too, without himself being disclosed to attack before havingaccomplished his purpose. The advantages of such a machine as this overan ordinary revolver under such conditions is great and obvious.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a machine-gun, of the revolving barrelcylinder,drum -cases placed alongside thereof, drums in said drumcases, andspringsvedges whereby said drumcases and drums are held toward and intocngagement with the barrel-cylinder, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a machine-gun, of the frame, the stop A and thecartridge-carrying drums D mounted in cases E, said cases being adaptedto engage with and be held in position by said stop A substantially asshown and described.

3. The combination, in a machine-gun, of the barrels carried by a frontand rear disk, said barrels being cut away for a portion of theircircumference immediately in front of the rear disk, thereby formingsemicylinders, and revolving drums positioned alongside said barrels andformed with semicylindrical depressions in their peripheries which whenbrought into registry with said cut-away portions of said barrels formcartridge-chambers, substantially as shown and described.

4:. The combination, in a machine-gun, of the framework, a revolvingcylinder therein containing the gun-barrels, loose frames positionedalongside said cylinder and carrying drums, cartridge-belts carryingcartridges at regular intervals adapted to be fed in between said drumsand the rear open-sided ends of said gun-barrels, spring firing-pinslocated behind said gun-barrels and provided with inclined faces ontheir ends and with firing-points, said cylinder being also providedwith inclined faces whereby said firingpins are operated as the cylinderis revolved, substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Marion,Indiana, this 20th day of September, A. D. 1895.

THOMAS R. COOK. [L. s]

Witnesses:

FRANK C. PALMER, DAVID W. TAYLOR.

